


The Calmer

by LucindaAM



Series: Beauty and her Beast [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bruce being the 'pacifier' this time around, Bruce loves the hell out of you, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Light Swearing, No Smut, Vague mentions of a panic attack, angst if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:02:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26491609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucindaAM/pseuds/LucindaAM
Summary: You and Bruce don't have a "typical" dating life. What with the Hyde to his Jekyll condition; it makes it hard for the two of you to enjoy a night out on the town. Not that you've ever seemed to mind.But Bruce wants to give you the world. So, when Tony throws yet another fancy party and promises that this is Bruce's opportunity to give you just that, Bruce takes it.The night just doesn't happen to go according to plan. Then again, when have your lives ever? Maybe that's why you two fit so well.You calmed Bruce last time, it's only fair he repays the favor this time.
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Tony Stark, Bruce Banner/Reader, Hulk (Marvel)/Reader, Tony Stark/Pepper Potts
Series: Beauty and her Beast [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1925902
Comments: 7
Kudos: 56





	The Calmer

**Author's Note:**

> Aww you guys wanted more, and that made me feel EXTREMELY warm and fuzzy. Thanks for reading!

Bruce was nervous. Which was strange because usually, he was so focused on controlling the other emotion, he didn’t have a lot of time left to worry. 

But tonight, was different. 

And he was nervous. 

Tony was lounging on the chair beside him. “You’ll be fine, buddy. Just relax. It’s not like you’re asking her to marry you . . . right?” 

Bruce chuckled nervously. “No, Tony. I’m not asking her to marry me.” 

Tony waved a hand through the air as though that solved everything. “See? You’ll be fine then. It’s just a date.” 

“Yeah. But it’s a date out in public. With other people, Tony. I don’t see why you’re being so caviler about it.” 

Tony pushed to his feet and nudged Bruce aside so he could glance in the mirror too. Tony adjusted his tie and his cuffs before he turned to Bruce and shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, when you’ve been to as many of these shindigs as I have, you get used to them.” He slapped Bruce on the back, hardly noticing how the scientist tensed up. “Don’t worry, Green Bean. Nothing’s going to happen. And if it does? You have the rest of the team there to back you up. You’ll be fine. Promise.” 

“Yeah. You say that now.” Bruce murmured under his breath but he followed Tony out of the walk-in closet and into the penthouse. 

The elevator dinged as just as they exited the bedroom. 

“Pepper!” Tony called lovingly as his long-time girlfriend stepped off the elevator. Pepper sent him a patient smirk as he stepped towards her and twirled her around. “Ravishing.” He said, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. 

Pepper giggled. “Tony, don’t be rude.” She said, pulling away from him. She ignored the smirk he sent her way as she walked towards Bruce and adjusted his tie. 

“You clean up nice, Bruce.” She said, smiling at him. 

“Thanks.” He said awkwardly. 

Pepper leaned in closer. “She’s waiting for you downstairs.” She whispered. 

And just like that, the nerves were back. Is this what real dating had always been like? He could hardly remember. Ever since you’d appeared in his life, it had been easy. Almost like you’d always been there. Tonight, was an entirely new scenario for both of you and Bruce wanted it to be special. You’d sacrificed so much to stay by his side. Just once he wanted to give you the date night you deserved. 

“Ready to go?” Tony asked, pulling Bruce from his thoughts. 

Bruce glanced around the penthouse like he could find something to avoid going to this party Tony had put together. 

He found nothing. 

Tony chuckled and reached for him, putting a firm hand on his shoulder and pushing him towards the elevator. “You’ll be fine, Banner. Cross my heart and all that. Besides, if it’s the Rage Monster you’re worried about; The Pacifier will be there and we both know she won’t let that happen on her watch.” 

“Oh, Tony. You didn’t.” Pepper chuckled. “’The Pacifier’? Really?” 

“You don’t like it?” Tony sniffed. “I suppose it could use some work. How about ‘The Calm’. No, wait; ‘The Silencer’. I have a feeling Romanov would like that one.” 

Bruce and Pepper exchanged a look and shook their heads in mock frustration. “How about you ask the poor girl what she wants to be called.” Pepper suggested sagely. 

Tony shook his head. “She’ll only lie again and say she doesn’t want to be called anything. Ugh. Honestly, Pepp. It’s like she has no common sense at all. It’s all about branding and if you don’t have the right brand, how are you supposed to get ahead in this dog-eat-dog world?” 

Bruce shook his head again and smiled lightly as the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors slid open. 

His heart leapt to his throat as he took it all in. There were just So. Many. People. 

He was just about to back into the elevator again when you appeared out of nowhere on his left side and took his hand in yours. 

Pepper and Tony smiled over at you. “Have fun you two.” Tony encouraged with a saucy wink before he and Pepper swept into the crowd and disappeared. 

It was only after they’d gone that Bruce realized that you were gripped his hand in yours so tightly, he couldn’t feel his fingers anymore. 

He glanced at you, ready to comment on it, but your pale face and wide eyes made him ask something entirely different instead. “Are you okay?” 

Your eyes met his suddenly and for only the second time since he’d met you in the woods all those years ago, he saw true panic staring back at him. 

“Hey, hey, you’re okay. It’s alright. I’ve got you.” Without a second thought, he pushed the elevator button and pulled you inside. He wrapped his arms around you as best as he could when you still hadn’t released his one hand from the death grip you had on it. 

“JARVIS, can you take us somewhere private, please?” He asked. 

“Of course, Dr. Banner.” 

Bruce tucked your head under his chin and rubbed your back soothingly. He felt entirely out of his depth as he whispered to you softly. It was so rare that he had to play the calming influence in your relationship. He almost didn’t know what to do. Feeling out of his depth, he ignored your shaking as he whispered the same things you whispered to him when he was struggling to control his other side. 

“It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m here. I’m here. You’re safe.” 

The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors slid open showing the team common room. “Everyone else is down at the party, Dr. Banner. You two will have the floor to yourselves for at least another hour. I shall alert you if anyone returns before then.” 

“Thank you, JARVIS.” Bruce murmured distractedly as he led you to the couch. 

“My pleasure. Enjoy your evening.” 

Bruce gently sat you on the couch. Your hand had stopped griping his at one point, but you were clinging to his shirt instead. When he tried to pull away to grab one of the blankets lying on the edge of the couch, you clung to him as though you were afraid he was going to disappear. 

“Hey, hey. I’m not going anywhere. Okay? I’m right here.” Bruce leaned down and peered into your eyes until his words seemed to register with you. You nodded slowly and released his shirt as you slowly wrapped your arms around yourself and curled into a ball against the couch. 

Bruce reached over and grabbed the blanket before he leaned back towards you and scooped you against his chest. He draped the blanket over the both of you and continued rubbing patterns on your back. 

Despite the tense way that you held yourself, Bruce could feel your body shaking against his and he felt his other side stir as his worry grew. 

Bruce closed his eyes and willed the Hulk to settle back down. He didn’t know how long he sat there wrestling with the beast before finally Hulk seemed to slip into the background. Bruce swallowed hard at the feeling of the Hulk riding so close to the surface but he willed himself to stay in control. He had to know you were safe first. 

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” He asked. His voice thick with concern and harsher than normal. 

Despite the hell you were going through, you sensed the change in his tone and wrapped your arms around Bruce’s waist in a relaxed hug, willing his darker side to calm. 

The truth was, you didn’t want to talk about it. But you could feel the hardness of Bruce’s muscles and knew that he needed an answer, or he was going to have a different problem on his hands. 

“I just . . . I didn’t know there were going to be so many people there.” You murmured softly. 

You closed your eyes and breathed in Bruce’s familiar scent, willing your own body to relax as you remembered that you were safe. Bruce wouldn’t let anything happen to you. There was no safer place to be than in the tower anyway. Especially with five of the Avengers just downstairs and JARVIS on constant vigilant alert. 

“You’re afraid of crowds?” Bruce asked, his voice already sounding more normal. “I didn’t know that.” He seemed surprised that there was something he didn’t know about you. 

You shook your head slowly against his chest. “Not of crowds . . . not exactly. It’s more being stuck in crowds. You can’t . . . you can’t escape in crowds you’re just stuck there. Too many bodies, not enough exits.” 

You closed your eyes tightly and you felt your heart rate pick back up again at the mere thought of the swell of people just downstairs. You didn’t understand why Tony liked it so much. 

Your hand gripped the front of Bruce’s shirt again and he once again had to fight back the urge to let the beast take control. 

He let out a shuttering sigh and you pulled away slowly as you felt the change in him. You glanced up slowly and saw the green already tinging his eyes. 

You kneeled up on the couch and shuffled closer to him, the blanket falling to the ground as you reached over to cup his face. “Hey, hey, I’m okay. I’ll be okay. Crowds aren’t so bad, right? We can go back to the party. I know you were looking forward to it.” 

That was the WRONG thing to say. 

Bruce snarled and green tinged his cheeks as he fought for control. 

“I . . . can’t . . .” He groaned, pushing to his feet and stumbling away from the couch. You were on your own feet in the next second, your own panic nearly forgotten as you watched Bruce struggle. Bruce stumbled towards the elevators. 

“JARVIS, get us to the labs!” You ordered. 

The elevator doors swung open and Bruce collapsed inside. You fell beside him and rubbed his back as he grit his teeth, trying to hold back the change for as long as he could. 

Faster than should have been possible, the elevator doors were swinging open on the R&D floors, the only floor reinforced enough to handle Bruce’s shift. 

Bruce stumbled out of the elevators and roared as his suit ripped to pieces and the Hulk emerged. Tears filled your eyes as you watched the painful process. 

It wasn’t the first time you’d witnessed it, but it always hurt you knowing just how much it hurt both your boys. This time was especially painful knowing that somehow you’d been part of what caused it. 

Still, just like Bruce had taught you, you resisted your natural urge to rush towards Hulk as he woke up and instead kept frozen in the corner of the lab as Hulk spun around in circles, orienting himself. 

After a few minutes of angry grunts, you took a hesitant step forward. “Hulk?” You asked softly, keeping both your hands clutched in front of you tightly. 

Hulk spun around and glanced at you. Your hair was disheveled where you had leaned it against Bruce’s chest. Your makeup smudged where you’d been wiping at your face in agitation. Traces of your own panic could still be seen in your eyes. 

Hulk took it all in and rushed towards you. You didn’t cower for even a moment as the 1,400 pound creature raced towards you. Instead, you held your arms out as he swept you up to his chest. Hulk brought you up to his shoulder and leaned his head softly against yours as he fell to the ground with a resounding thud. 

You wrapped your arm around his neck as best as you could and let your heart settle as he rocked you slowly back and forth. “Safe.” He murmured, keeping his large hand pressed firmly against his back. 

You nodded against his head. “Safe with you.” You agreed as you leaned over and kissed his cheek. 

Hulk smiled ducked his head shyly. The two of you fell into an easy silence as you leaned your head against his shoulder and glanced out the window. Outside, you watched as fireworks lit up the night sky. 

Hulk tensed beside you and you glanced at him. “Party. You go?” He grunt, looking annoyed when he stumbled over the words. 

You shook your head quickly. “I don’t want to go. I want to stay here with you.” You reassured him. 

He nodded seriously, but used the hand that wasn’t still caging you to his body to push the two of you closer to the window so you could watch the colorful explosions light up the night sky. 

“Pretty.” He murmured. 

You nodded as your eyes slid shut and you yawned against his skin. “Mmm-hmmm.” You agreed. 

Hulk felt you slipping away in his arms and he leaned back against the ground, keeping you pressed to his chest, his large hand acting as a weighted blanket as he kept you safe beside him. 

“Night-night.” He murmured pressing one of his large fingers against your face. You smiled against his skin as you slipped into a dreamless sleep, confident that he’d keep you safe in the meantime. 

The elevator dinged open and Pepper slipped out of it and into the lab. Tony was still downstairs, keeping the crowd entertained with yet another story of daring and heroism, but Pepper had noticed two faces missing in the crowd. 

She smiled the pair of you, fast asleep on the floor. Bruce was cuddling you tightly to his chest, the remains of his torn clothes still scattered around the two of you. She crouched down and slipped a pillow under both your heads before she covered the two of you with a blanket. She smoothed Bruce’s hair away from his face and leaned down to press a quick kiss to your forehead. “Welcome to the family, Honey.” She murmured. 

Then she slipped back onto the elevator to leave the two of you in peace. The doors slid shut behind her. “Lock the labs till they wake up tomorrow, will you, JARVIS? No one in or out. Especially Tony.” 

JARVIS sounded amused. “Of course, ma’am. What shall I tell him if he asks?” 

Pepper shrugged a shoulder. “Tell him he has a bed and a girlfriend waiting for him. That should keep him busy. Let the two of them rest. They deserve it.” 

JARVIS hummed in agreement as the elevator doors slid open and Pepper stepped back into the party leaving the two of you sleeping peacefully several floors above.


End file.
